Re: World Cup 2018

Re: World Cup 2018

Re: World Cup 2018

England is going to go down under the steam roller Tunisians in Round One.

Blackleaf

#6

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Curious Cdn

England is going to go down under the steam roller Tunisians in Round One.

We can lose to Tunisia and still qualify. The Top 2 from each group quality for the Last 16.

Belgium are the only real threat in Group G - they are ranked 5th in the world and have quality Premier League players like Fellaini Lukaku, de Bruyne, Kompany, Hazard, Courtois, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Benteke, Vermaelen, Dembele, Batshuayi, Origi, Mirallas, Mignolet and Chadli.

They are dark horses for the tournament but England will win it.

I feel sorry for Iran and Morocco - in Group B with Spain and European Champions Portugal.

Curious Cdn

#7

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

I'm looking for overseas investors in my new Canadian real estate venture. It's called "Moose Meadows". Are you interested in kicking in a few quid?

Blackleaf

-1

#8

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Curious Cdn

I'm looking for overseas investors in my new Canadian real estate venture. It's called "Moose Meadows". Are you interested in kicking in a few quid?

This is about the Football World Cup.

Curious Cdn

#9

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Blackleaf

This is about the Football World Cup.

Not about delusional Englishmen?

Blackleaf

#10

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Curious Cdn

Not about delusional Englishmen?

No. It's "World Cup 2018."

Curious Cdn

#11

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Blackleaf

No. It's "World Cup 2018."

Same/Diff.?

Alternative

#12

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Iran, Serbia and Japan going to next round a suprise but worth with those in last 16.

Blackleaf

#13

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

Iran, Serbia and Japan going to next round a suprise but worth with those in last 16.

Interesting how you think Portugal won't qualify from their easy group.

I know they were awful in Euro 2016 and somehow won the tournament without winning a single match in the Group Stage, in which they only finished third and qualified for the Last 16 courtesy of being one of the best third-placed teams, but they'll still have enough to beat Iran and neighbours Morocco.

Alternative

#16

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Blackleaf

Interesting how you think Portugal won't qualify from their easy group.

I know they were awful in Euro 2016 and somehow won the tournament without winning a single match in the Group Stage, in which they only finished third and qualified for the Last 16 courtesy of being one of the best third-placed teams, but they'll still have enough to beat Iran and neighbours Morocco.

Iran will cross Portugal with 3-0.

I think England will proof better than France next year.

Blackleaf

#17

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

Iran will cross Portugal with 3-0.

I think England will proof better than France next year.

England is better than France full stop: sports-wise, culturally, gastronomically, militarily and historically.

Alternative

#18

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

And both are west countries and both have one World Cup title all soccer time and third part in west Germany have four titles all time. Much stronger with Germany all time militaries.

Blackleaf

#19

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

And both are west countries and both have one World Cup title all soccer time and third part in west Germany have four titles all time. Much stronger with Germany all time militaries.

The number of World Cups a team has won in the past has no bearing on how it will perform at next year's World Cup.

For example, none of the West Germany players who cheated their way to World Cup victory in 1954 by taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs will actually be in Germany's squad next year.

Alternative

#20

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Müller and Neuer two classics since 2006 stars in Germany.

Blackleaf

#21

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

Müller and Neuer two classics since 2006 stars in Germany.

Neuer (like Germany, the country, overall) is overrated. Best goalkeeper in the world, my arse.

Last edited by Blackleaf; Dec 2nd, 2017 at 11:49 AM..

Alternative

#22

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

But he were best in Germany.

Blackleaf

#23

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

But he were best in Germany.

Which team conceded the least number of goals in the European section of World Cup qualifying?

England.

Alternative

#24

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Of course, I prefer England much better in final pair than France and Poland and Mexico.

I believe South Korea will draw against Sweden. Losing against Germany. And win against Mexico. SK will be number two in swedish group four points just I prefer.

coldstream

#25

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Go England. My team of choice when Canada doesn't qualify. Which means its my team of choice all the time.

Alternative

#26

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 2nd, 2017

Spain, Denmark, Serbia, Germany, Belgium, England.

These six countries are my best elect for whining in 2018's World Cup.

Blackleaf

+1

#27 Top Rated Post

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 3rd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Alternative

Spain, Denmark, Serbia, Germany, Belgium, England.

These six countries are my best elect for whining in 2018's World Cup.

England will beat Serbia 1-0 in the Final in the 96th minute thanks to a Harry Kane penalty.

Coffee House

England are probably going to win the World Cup

Nick Hilton

Nick Hilton
2 December 2017
The Spectator

England, Belgium, Tunisia, Panama: it doesn’t make an acronym as alluring as the ‘England Algeria Slovenia Yanks’ headline The Sun ran at this stage in 2009, but English football fans will have breathed a sigh of relief after being placed in a group we might call BTEC – Belgium Tunisia England Canal folk (Panama) – because it certainly wasn’t the hardest option out there.

A cautious optimism must now seep into the England set-up. Encouraging draws against Germany and Brazil proved that this generation are more dour and pragmatic than the extravagant ensemble that preceded them. Even at managerial level, the contrast between unfashionable Gareth Southgate and his predecessors is stark: Southgate is a dullard from Crawley, whose most extensive managerial experience was three years at Middlesborough, whereas Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello were sexy European gentlemen, and even Roy Hodgson has language skills that would make a UN interpreter blush. Southgate is English bog-standardness at its finest; you can almost imagine him describing a 0-0 draw with Tunisia in Volgograd as a good result.

The biggest advantage of the draw is that England’s group has been placed alongside one of the weakest in the competition. Supposing England see off the Tunisians and Panamanians, but finish second to the elegant Belgians, they would face the winner of a group featuring Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan. There is no giant in that group, just four teams engaged in a Battle Royale face-off of mediocrity. The talented teams of the tournament are stuffed into the centre of the draw, like filling in a sandwich. On the outsides, the boring, beige bread is occupied by teams like Russia, Portugal, England and Poland, who all look increasingly like dark horses for the trophy.

England manager Gareth Southgate

Which all leads to the illogical conclusion that we are on the brink of winning the World Cup. A slip-up for either Germany or Brazil could see them face each other in the Round of 16; likewise Argentina and France. There is no disaster for England except a group stage elimination, meaning the tussle with Panama in Nizhny Novgorod can be played with a levity that befits the administrative capital of the Volga Federal District. We’ll be dancing on the streets of Kaliningrad when we take on Roberto Martinez’s Belgian side, who, unlike us, are weighed down by their ‘golden generation’ tag.

If you are not already getting carried away with the possibility of England contra mundum in Russia, then you are disavowing a key part of the English footballing experience. Again and again pundits play down England’s chances, harp on about the brilliance of Germany and France like the worst sort of Remainers, and tell us how lucky we’d be to reach the quarter-finals. When we were handed the EASY group in 2010, we blew it by finishing runners-up to the USA and therefore playing Germany instead of Ghana in the Last 16. The US proceeded to lose to Ghana, who then lost to Uruguay, who lost to the Dutch, who lost to Spain in the final: you don’t need a BTEC in maths to know that we would have reached the final, had we just snuck a win against Algeria…

Next year, English fans will head to Russia having been warned against optimism for six months straight. The combination of unrealistic self-confidence and masochistic self-flagellation is unique to the English psyche, but there are now genuine reasons for a bit of swagger amongst England supporters and there’s no harm in that. Let’s hold the doom and gloom until the whistle blows.

England have recently had two encouraging 0-0 draws against Germany (above) and Brazil

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/1...the-world-cup/

Last edited by Blackleaf; Dec 3rd, 2017 at 06:20 AM..

Curious Cdn

#28

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 3rd, 2017

Pigs are probably going to fly backwards.

The French or the Germans are probably going to win the World Cup. England will choke in Round One.

Blackleaf

#29

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 3rd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Curious Cdn

Pigs are probably going to fly backwards.

The French or the Germans are probably going to win the World Cup. England will choke in Round One.

France have got a far more difficult route to the Final than England. Even if they do get out of their group, they could then well face the might of Lionel Messi and Co (Argentina) in the Round of 16, who'll stuff the Frogs like Christmas turkeys.

Also, looking at the draw means that Brazil and Germany could face each other in the Last 16.

Even Spain, if they reach the Last 16, could well come up against Russia, on Russian soil, in the Last 16.

England will only play either Poland, Senegal, Colombia or Japan in the Last 16.

So France, Germany, Spain and Brazil have far tougher starts to the knockout stages than England, should they all get there.

Curious Cdn

#30

Re: World Cup 2018

Dec 3rd, 2017

Quote: Originally Posted by Blackleaf

France have got a far more difficult route to the Final than England. Even if they do get out of their group, they could then well face the might of Lionel Messi and Co (Argentina) in the Round of 16, who'll stuff the Frogs like Christmas turkeys.

Also, looking at the draw means that Brazil and Germany could face each other in the Last 16.

Even Spain, if they reach the Last 16, could well come up against Russia, on Russian soil, in the Last 16.

England will only play either Poland, Senegal, Colombia or Japan in the Last 16.

So France, Germany, Spain and Brazil have far tougher starts to the knockout stages than England, should they all get there.

It doesn't matter how difficult their "route" is. France has a better team that England does. So do a dozen other countries.